The Wilds of Toogoom on a Warm Spring Day

Yawning sands stretch out forever,

     Greeted by thin wisps of white capped waves,

                                         gently rolling in from the horizon

Mangroves squat on the sand, warming their trunks in the sun.

                                Two herons’ squabble on the foreshore, where a lone oyster catcher, forages.

While in the distant blue of sky another squabble takes place above,

                        Two feisty crows fancy their chances with a sea eagle, looming too close for comfort.

Springtime dalliances of all types bring creatures out to play, kayakers streak the water with colour,

                        Fishermen in tinnies float with the current and families splash in the shallows.

In the safety of bushland back from the water, kangaroos graze in the shade and an egret              

                                   a lonely, white vapour, of feathers, fluffs itself in ready for morsels between the    mangrove lined streams.

                 Protesting crabs hold oversized claws like placards, arguing on the mudflats while

                                                                    one, descends into the safety of his hole in the mud.

Micro worlds functioning beneath the warm spring sunshine.

                   Crossing the walkway bridge, a mangrove monitor, stationary, watches our advance,

Do you see me?

What is your purpose?

She watches us and we her, the beauty of her surprise,

     in this wild bushland by the shores,

creatures thriving on the doorstep of humans.

©Dianne Gardner 2023

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